Swings
by tatecherie
Summary: When a case throws a very young girl into the hands of Kate Beckett, chaos and hilarity ensue. Meanwhile, Kate and Castle's relationship undergoes a strain when he leaves for a long trip out of state. Somewhere post-Knockdown; rated T to be safe. CASKETT.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own zip. Nada. Zilch.

**A/N: **Hey everyone! This will be my first Castle fic, as I've only done NCIS before. I've noticed the Castle-fic community over here  
seems to be a bit better than NCIS's, so we'll see how this goes! Hopefully you guys will like...please drop me a line and let me know! I LOVE reviews...

-Also, I forgot to mention that there is NO more Kate/Josh.  
We'll just pretend they parted on amiable terms. (:

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"So, today's the day, huh?" Kate Beckett asked over her shoulder.

"Today's the day," Rick Castle affirmed, trying to keep up with her as they walked towards a dark alleyway, which was crawling with uniforms.

"Wow. I can't believe I'll be Castle-free for three whole months," she grinned, flashing her badge at the officer guarding the scene.

The officer smiled at her as he held up the obnoxiously yellow police tape for her to duck under, watching her walk away appreciatively. He then dropped it before Castle could go under, making the writer shoot him a dirty look as he caught back up to Beckett.

"I know. It'll be miserable."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not exactly the word I'd use."

He opened his mouth, but she was already talking to Lanie before he could reply.

"Meet Robert Jenner, age 36. Time of death looks to be about three this morning. Single gunshot wound to the chest was probably the cause." She indicated the entry wound, then carefully rolled the victim over, pointing at a bloodied spot on his back. "Exit is right here. That's all I can tell you 'till I get him back to my office."

Kate nodded her thanks and looked at Esposito and Ryan, who were walking towards her, notepads in hand.

"Nobody says they heard a gunshot this morning, and we couldn't find anybody who knew anything else."

Kate sighed, looking up at the tall buildings that surrounded the alley. "There's no construction…the residents didn't say _anything_ about _any_ other noises?"

"Nope," Esposito answered.

"Must've used a silencer then."

"Yep," Ryan agreed.

They all suddenly stopped to look at Castle expectantly.

"What?" He looked from detective to detective.

"What, no crazy theories this time?"

Castle shrugged helplessly. "Seems like a pretty common murder to me."

"A _common murder_?" Kate raised her eyebrows.

He nodded as she gave a slight roll of her eyes, turning back to Esposito.

"Any family?"

"Yeah, his daughter, Rosalynn, lives with him in lower Manhattan. Both of his parents are dead; no siblings."

"How old is his daughter?" Castle asked.

Esposito sighed sorrowfully. "Six."

Pain became the subtle backdrop of Kate's face. "What about her mother?"

"They got divorced in 2008. Dad got full custody."

Ryan chimed in. "The mom currently lives in New Hampshire, but she's away on a business trip in Phoenix. She hasn't been informed yet."

"Alright. Thanks guys." She turned to Castle. "Look like we have a notification on our hands," she said in an almost-whisper.

Her face darkened, and he knew that she was thinking about the victim's little girl. What could she say to a small child who could barely grasp the concept of death? To a tiny girl who had just lost her _daddy_?

He remained silent as he walked back to the Crown Vic with her, hoping against all hopes that everything would be okay…even though he knew this case might hit a little too close to home for the both of them.

* * *

Rosalynn Jenner was a small little thing with a head full of wild brown curls, and the bluest eyes you'd ever seen.

Despite her young age, she looked full of life—Castle would even have gone as far to say vivacious.

But what scared Kate was how innocent and naïve she looked. And _she _was the one who was about to be responsible for taking that away. Her all-American childhood would be gone within just a few minutes, and it would be _her_ doing.

The social worker stood by the child, who made it very apparent she was bored and restless as she danced around in place. Rosalynn looked excitedly about her at the hustle of the precinct, which she had been temporarily brought to for safekeeping.

As Kate and Castle neared her, she looked up at social worker, tugging on her shirt. "Where's Daddy? Will he be here soon?"

The adult looked down at her sadly, and began to reply when Kate interrupted, saving her the grief.

"Rosalynn?" She felt a stab of pain in her chest as the sky-blue eyes immediately looked at her.

"Hi," she bent down, getting on eye-level. "I'm Kate." She tried her hardest to smile for the girl's sake.

"Hi," came the shy, quiet reply. "You're really pretty." She hesitantly reached out to touch one of Kate's own brown curls and then grinned at the detective.

"Thank you," she smiled softly again. "You are too." She gently tousled her hair, asking if she was a princess.

When Rosalynn said no, giggling, and asked why, Kate told her she was so pretty, she _had_ to be a princess, causing her to go into another fit of girlish laughter.

Castle watched the exchange quietly, realizing just how good Beckett was with the girl-how much she seemed like a mother. He also couldn't help but notice the striking resemlance between the two, and absently wondered if Beckett could possibly have a long-lost relative.

"Do you have a nickname, Rosalynn?" He vaguely heard her ask.

"My daddy and my friends at Kindergarten call me Rose. _You _can call me Rose, too," she added. "Kate, do you know where my daddy is?"

Kate closed her eyes for a brief second, then opened them back up, inhaling deeply. "Rose, I have something to tell you." She patted the floor beside her as she sat down, crossing her legs to sit Indian-style on the precinct floor.

Rose followed her example, and then looked back up at Kate, eyes shining. "Okay."

"Rose, we found your daddy this morning. Did you see him last night?"

"Yes. He tucked me in and read me a bedtime story. It was _Goodnight Moon,_" she grinned. "That's my favorite. Where did you find him?"

Kate held back a sigh, taking the girl's cheek in her hand. "Do you know what dying is?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, it means you go to Heaven!" She smiled again, proud of her knowledge.

Kate took this and used it to her advantage-how else would you tell a kid their parent died?

"Rose, your dad went to Heaven today," she replied quietly, and as gently as she could.

"Do you mean he died?"

"Yeah honey," she whispered. "He did."

"So, he's gone?" Her voice got quieter and quieter.

"Yeah."

Kate suddenly opened her arms, which Rose ran into after standing up.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie." She felt her shoulder becoming wet with Rose's quiet tears. "It's okay," she whispered into her ear. "Cry it out."

* * *

"What's going to happen to her?"

"Well, Detective Beckett, we're not exactly sure yet. She has no surviving family members other than her mother, who is unable to get here anytime soon, and Mr. Jenner's neighbors were unfit to take care of her at this time. She'll probably be forced to go into a temporary home until we can get into better contact with her mother."

Kate looked over at Rose, who was talking to Castle. She almost smiled at his over-the-top antics to try and cheer the little girl up.

Captain Montgomery sighed. "Looks like our only option. I just hate to put her in that situation right after she finds out her dad is dead. She's so young, and-"

"I'll take care of her." The words were out of Kate's mouth before she could even think about them.

The social worker and the Captain both looked at her questioningly.

"How would you be able to?"

She thought a moment. "Well, I can take care of her when I'm off work or if I'm doing desk-duty. And when I'm in the field, I can find someone. Plus, she'll be in school soon enough, once she has time to recover."

"You're sure?" Montgomery asked. "If it's going to interfere with your work too much, I don't want you taking on that kind of responsibility. You've gotta remember, she's only six, Beckett. She can't take care of herself."

She nodded her head after a second. "I'm sure. I'll let you know if it gets too difficult."

"Alright." He caught her eye, seeing the need there to help repair the child so she wouldn't have to go down the same road Beckett once had. "I'll help make the arrangements."

"Thank you, Sir."

She turned to shake the social worker's hand. "And you, Mrs. Sharma."

"No, thank _you_, Detective Beckett. I'll work on getting in touch with her mother in the meantime."

Kate nodded again, and then went to join Castle and Rosalynn after saying goodbye.

"Hey, Rose. Has Mr. Castle here annoyed you enough yet?" She winked.

She shook her head, her curls flying through the air. "He's funny! And nice."

"Yes, he is," she replied slowly, shooting Castle a slight smile, causing him to smile back at her. "So, what would you think of spending the night at my house for a little while?"

Castle's eyebrows went up at this, but she ignored him.

Rose slowly nodded in agreement. "Okay. Can we watch movies?"

Kate laughed, standing up. "Sure. I'm going to go get my stuff, and then we can leave, alright?"

"Okay." A small smile began to grow on her face. "Can Rick come, too?"

"Yeah, can Rick come too?" Castle asked, grinning.

"Not tonight," she replied, trying to hide her own smile. "Why don't you go get your stuff from Captain Montgomery's room so we can go?"

Rose nodded her head and skipped off to obey her request.

The next thing Kate knew, Castle was staring her down.

"What, Castle?"

"I'm just trying to figure it out."

"What out?"

"_You_ out."

"Why?"

"How are you supposed to watch her?" He asked after an awkward minute of silence. "I mean, you're working all the time, and-"

"I'm a big girl, Castle. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can. But can you take care of yourself _and_ her, too?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I can handle it."

"Alright..."

"Castle! I'll be fine!"

"At least let me help you out! I'm good with kids, you know that!"

"No, you have your book tour to do this month. And the next one. And then you have your movie stuff for the one after that in L.A."

"I can cancel!"

"No, Castle, you can't. And _you_ know that."

"Fine," he said, pulling out his cellphone. "I'll just postpone." And with that, he was speed-dialing Paula.

Kate opened her mouth to argue, but he was already chatting away.

Rolling her eyes a second time, she turned to Rose, who had emerged out of Montgomery's office.

"All ready?"

She nodded, showing off her pink Disney princess suitcase on wheels, and Kate couldn't help but smile.

"Bye, Castle," she called as she guided Rose to the elevator.

"Bye Rick!" She echoed.

Castle chuckled at the little girl, following them out, with his agent screaming at him through the earpiece of his phone about how ridiculous he was. Or something like that.

He wasn't going to let Beckett take care of a child all alone-although he was sure she was capable, she had enough stress in her life.

Plus, he wasn't about to miss this new side of her-this mommish, lovey-dovey, affectionate side-for the world.

* * *

Kate listened to the sound of Rose playing in the bathtub as she fixed pancakes for dinner, smiling softly.

This little girl was a wild one. She was as sweet as could be, but very much a free spirit.

She was happy until she remembered her dad, but Kate was expecting these mood swings-she'd been in the business long enough to know how little kids acted when a loved one died.

Castle had ended up walking the two girls to her car after they'd left the precinct, and Rose had given him a ginormous hug-along with a kiss on the cheek-before getting buckled into the carseat Ryan and Esposito had installed in Kate's car.

Kate smiled at the memory. She had to admit, Castle _did_ have a certain way with kids.

She also had to admit, it was a major turn-on for her...but she wasn't about to say that so were his eyes, his hair, his smile-nope. None of that.

Her phone suddenly buzzed on the counter with a text and she picked it up, setting the spatula she was using down in its place.

Speak of the devil.

**-Everything okay over there?**

_-Castle, I'm not incompetent. We've already been over this,_ she typed back.

He replied after a second, which she read while sighing.

**-Just checking. Cause I'll come over there if you need me to.**

Kate grinned, deciding to mess with his head a little.

_-Oh, Mr. Castle, we can't right now...not while I have company._

She could just imagine his eyes widening, his breath hitching in his throat. She laughed, and then set her phone down again, turning the stove off.

"Rose! Pancakes are ready!" She went to knock on the bathroom door. "Are you all done in there?"

Six years old, and the girl was already demanding privacy to the extreme. She had not only locked the door, but had also shoved a chair from the kitchen under the knob.

"Yes!" Kate heard her answer.

"Alright, well, it'll be on the table!" She called, going to get everything set out.

Stopping by her phone, she found herself laughing out loud at the message on the screen.

**-Alexis loves to babysit.**

* * *

Early the next morning, Rose was sitting behind Kate's desk at the precinct, drawing on a piece of scrap paper.

Kate had told her she wouldn't have to go back to school for a little while, and that she would be staying with them in the meantime. Rose had agreed in a heartbeat.

"Yo, Beckett, got our financials back on our vic-" Esposito stopped himself, seeing Rose.

Kate nodded, standing up to go talk to him. "Keep coloring, sweetheart; I'll be right back."

She watched as Castle entered the room, two large coffees and one (she guessed hot chocolate) in hand.

Setting one down on her desk and the small one in front of the artist, he pulled up his chair to sit next to Rose. As he started to animatedly talk to her, pointing at things she'd drawn and asking her about them, Kate smiled.

They were so damn cute, it wasn't even funny.

Suddenly, she saw Esposito's fingers snapping in front of her eyes, and she turned to look at him.

"Earth to Beckett," he smirked.

"Sorry, I just...anyways, mhmm, financials?"

"Mhmm. Anyways, Jenner had almost 15 G's disappear out of his checking account last week, and the week before that."

"They weren't purchases?"

"Nope-transfer to an offshore account in Europe. We're working on tracing it now...just thought you might like to know."

"Alright, thanks."

He nodded, walking off, as she turned to go back to her desk.

"Coffee's here," Castle gestured to her cup.

"I noticed."

"Oh, you did, did you?"

She rolled her eyes and picked up a stack of papers that had piled up, along with the coffee.

"Could you stay here with Rose while I go take care of these?"

"No problem," he told her.

Castle watched her walk off, and then turned back to Rose after she had rounded the corner and disappeared.

"So, what do you say we go and get some ice cream after lunch today?"

Rose looked up at him curiously. "Kate told me you're bad news," she said seriously. "But I like you."

He laughed. "Oh did she now?"

She nodded, then squinted at him. "What _kind _of ice cream?"

"I don't know, what's your favorite? Chocolate? Rainbow? Vanilla?"

"Vanilla! With rainbow sprinkles and gummy bears!"

"No way! _Me _too!"

She grinned ear-to-ear, and then resumed her drawing, allowing a moment of quiet to pass.

"So what else did Kate say about me?" Castle suddenly asked.

Rose shook her head and made a zipping motion across her lips.

"Aw, come on! Please?"

"Nope!"

"Pleeeaaassseee?"

"_Noo!_"

Kate came back, paper-free, and smiling at the noises of their argument.

"What's Castle doing now?"

"He's trying to break me!" Rose whined. "But I stayed strong, just like you taught me."

The detective grinned at the proud swell of her chest. "Good job," she told her, stopping to stand behind her and pat her on the head.

Castle's eyebrows shot up incredulously. "You _warned_ her about little ol' _me_?"

Kate smirked, softly playing with Rose's hair. "Who, _me_? No, never."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed.

"So, you wanna go play with the lights and sirens on the police car?"

Rose agreed eagerly, hopping down from Kate's chair, as Castle jumped up from his.

"_I _wanna play with the li-"

"Shut up, Castle."

* * *

"Alright Rose, this is Lanie. Lanie, Rose."

"I have heard _so_ much about you, girl!" Lanie smiled warmly, extending her hand.

Rose took it, smiling back. "Are _all _the ladies here pretty?" She asked Kate, looking up at her towering figure.

"Ooh, I like this one!" Lanie grinned at Kate, eyebrows raised.

Kate laughed in turn. "Good, I'm glad you do. So now I can leave you two together for a while, right?"

"Yep."

"Alrighty then, I'll see you girls later!" She began to walk out of the conference room, when Lanie quickly grabbed her arm, lowering her voice.

"Kate, are you _sure_ this girl isn't yours? Or is she a sister, niece, cousin-_anything_?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," she laughed. "Why?"

Lanie frowned at her. "Girl, if you can't see the similarities…"

"Yeah, Castle already tried pitching that one to me this morning. We're _not _related in any way, I promise."

"Alright, whatever you say…"

"I _do_ say…" Kate mimicked her sing-songy tone.

"You know, come to think of it, she looks an awful lot like you had some fun with writer-boy." She grinned at her best friend's shocked face.

"What? _How_-" She could feel her face slowly flushing.

"I know, I know. Not possible. But come on, look at her! _Your _hair, _your_ face, _his_ eyes, _his_ smile-tell me it's not freaky."

Kate scoffed, trying to resist the temptation to stare at Rose to see what Lanie saw. "Whatever."

Lanie smirked. "Just sayin'." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Um, you're late."

"Oh, crap! I've gotta go-I'll be back at four o'clock!" She sprinted out the door. "Bye Rose, have fun!"

* * *

"You know, you're pretty good at this kid stuff."

Kate didn't dignify him by offering a reply, but kept her eyes on the traffic-jammed road ahead.

Castle tried again. "And you're pretty cute when you do the kid stuff too."

She frowned as she tried to hide her face, which was quickly reddening.

"Shut up."

"But you-"

"Castle, I just got my Taser fixed. Shut _up._"

He smirked, but sat back in his seat and obeyed.

"Alright. Just sayin'."

She reached for the radio dial, filling the small, confined space with the sound of Frank Sinatra. "There seems to be a lot of 'just sayin's going around lately."

Castle smiled, then attempted at changing the subject. "So you like the classics, huh? How come I've never heard you play them before?"

She looked over at him as the light turned red. "Yeah, I do. And I don't know, I like everything, really. But I listen mostly to all the old stuff at home."

He nodded approvingly. "Good taste."

Kate felt another blush creeping over her cheeks, so she hurriedly yelled through the windshield at a car that just then cut her off, using her anger as an excuse for her red face.

She had hunted, chased down, and caught hundreds of criminals in her career, and then interrogated tons more.

She'd faced them alone in a small room-albeit with backup, but they were in a different room watching her-and there had been some tough, intimidating, even scary people.

Hell, she'd even been held hostage once, and nothing and no one made her more uneasy than Richard Castle could.

She sighed as she began to drum her fingers on the steering wheel.

"Damn traffic," she muttered under her breath.

Castle, having heard her, chuckled quietly, causing her to lash her head around and glare at him.

"What?" She spat, irritated.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Nothin' at all…" he trailed off, propping his hands behind his head.

Kate remained still for a second, then reached over to twist Castle's ear.

She laughed as he loudly yelped in pain, and then let go.

"_Now_ are you gonna shut up?"

* * *

**A/N: **Alright, so I know it kind of started off slow, and it's kind of an awkward spot to leave off, but the other stuff I had written for this chapter seemed to drag on  
even more than (I'm sure) this one did. It should get much better and faster-paced, if I continue.

And I know I have a reputation for being the um, *cough cough* world's slowest updater, but maybe a slew of reviews/alerts would greatly encourage me?  
You never know until you try...

So, this is the part where I, again, shamelessly beg you for reviews. If you think I should continue on with this, let me know. If you think I should drop it, let me know.  
Basically, any and all feedback would be welcomed and appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I am not Andrew Marlowe. Lucky SOB. I _do_, however, own the characters I've made up for this story. :)

**A/N: **I cannot express my joy right now. I asked for a slew…and boy, did you guys deliver! I must admit, you all completely made my week…I had about 18,000 alerts. Okay, a lot less than that. But still. I've never had this kind of reaction before, so _yay! _And thank you!

And I know I was kinda, sorta, REALLY slow at updating, but all of your reviews DID really motivate me, and I managed to write out the next two chapters, including this one. I just have to type up the next, and Chapter 3 will be good to go!

So, on to addressing a few things in the _**fantastic**_ reviews…  
1.) Alright, I fixed the whole Paula/ex-wife thing. I'm not sure what happened there; I guess I was thinking Gina and got momentarily confused? I'm a die-hard Castle fan, so you would think that I would get that right…oh well, I'm human.  
2.) Also, that whole "Any family" thing with Esposito…I looked at it again, and it _was_ kind of on the confusing side. Fixed it, though. :)

Thanks for reading! (Sorry for all of my SUPER long A/Ns...)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Kate stared open-mouthed at the man in front of her. The inexplicably attractive man, at that.

"So, you're the um, tenant?" She struggled through her question.

She could almost hear Castle's eye-roll. He had scoffed when Michael Fisher first opened the door, already knowing what Kate would be thinking at first.

Or rather, her lack of thinking.

She, however, being the detective she was, quickly regained her composure after he had confirmed her question.

"Yes ma'am. What's going on?"

"I just have a few questions for you."

Fisher moved aside and allowed the duo in, closing the door behind them.

"Were you friends with Mr. Jenner, by any chance? He lived next-"

"Door to me, I know," he interrupted. "We talk every once and a while, but I wouldn't say we're _friends_. Why? Did he do something?"

"I'm afraid he was murdered this morning." Kate watched his eyes widen. "Can you tell us anything about him?"

"Wow," he breathed. "Um, not really. He worked a lot, though—got home pretty late every night. But he really loved his daughter, you know? He was always talking about her. Said she was the best thing that ever happened to him."

Kate nodded. "Do you know where he worked? Or who took care of his daughter while he was gone?"

He shrugged. "No clue. But I know he had a nanny for…Rose, I think? She was pretty hot. Young."

"Got a name?"

"Sorry," he shook his head.

"Alright, thanks for your help."

"Anytime."

Kate and Castle turned to leave, and Fisher followed them.

"So um, Detective…Beckett, is it? You're gonna need my number just in case something comes up with the case, or if you get a little thirsty here and there, right?" He asked smoothly, sidling up to her side.

She smiled sweetly. "Sorry. I'm not interested."

Castle tried to hold back a laugh at Fisher's shocked face as they walked off.

"_Rejectionn…"_

_

* * *

_Lanie smiled to herself as she watched Rose dart around outside on the precinct sidewalk, when she suddenly felt a hand on her back.

"Good afternoon," a low voice rumbled in her ear.

"Hello yourself," she grinned, not bothering to glance behind her.

Esposito took a seat on the low brick wall beside her, chuckling at Rose's actions.

"Cute kid," he observed.

She laughed. "Yep. Quite a handful, though. Kate's crazy for takin' her on, but I think she sees some of herself in her."

He nodded. "Makes sense."

"Mhmm. So what did you come all the way out here for? 'Cuz I _know_ it wasn't just to shoot the breeze."

"What? I can't just venture out from behind a boring desk to have a nice chat with a _very _attractive co-worker?"

Lanie smirked while rolling her eyes. "Imma smack you."

"Alright, alright! I was just wondering if you were free tonight?"

She rose her eyebrows. "Depends. Where are you taking me?"

"_That_…would be a surprise."

She sighed. "I guess."

"Sounds good, _Bonita_."

Lanie smiled as he stood up and then leaned down to press a kiss against her lips.

"I'll see you later tonight then, Javier," she winked.

He grinned, giving her a wave as he walked back inside the building.

Rose suddenly ran over to her, jumping up and down. "Kate and Rick are here!"

Lanie laughed, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Alright, calm down!"

Kate walked up, smiling. "_Someone's _happy."

"You wanna see the trick Lanie taught me?" Rose squealed, bursting at the seams.

Castle and Kate both nodded, the girl's eagerness rubbing off on them.

Rose proceeded to do a not-so-neat cartwheel, but stood up after landing on her butt, grinning proudly. "See?"

The two women clapped, while Castle gave her two thumbs up.

"_You _taught her that?" Kate turned unbelievingly to her friend.

"Varsity squad, '97," Lanie rose her eyebrows. "You should know this by now, girl!"

The detective rolled her eyes. "I forgot."

"Mhmm."

* * *

"Beckett, are you joining us?" Castle put on his jacket, helping Rose into hers.

"Where?"

"I promised her ice cream earlier. Wanna come?"

Kate shook her head sorrowfully. "Reports to do."

Rose started pulling on her shirt. "No, Kate, you _have _to come with us! _Please_?"

She sighed. "I guess paperwork can wait."

"_Yes_!" Rose and Castle cheered, making Kate smile as she grabbed her coat.

"Although...why we're going out for ice cream in early _November _when it's 40 degrees outside, I won't ever understand."

"We'll be _i__nside_," Castle retorted, receiving an eye-roll.

"Can we walk?"

"You sure you don't want to ride in the car? It'll be warmer."

Rose shook her head firmly. "I like the cold."

"Alright...guess we'd better head out then, before the Captain finds me not doing my work," Kate grinned jokingly.

"Onwards we go, then!" Castle gleefully yelled, swooping up Rose into his arms.

The girl laughed as he ran down the hall with her, and then yelled at Kate to hurry up once they reached the elevator.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Luigi!"

The old man behind the counter looked up as three, smiling, happy people walked through the door to his ice cream parlor.

He smiled, raising both hands in the air. "Richard! How good to see you! It's been too long, my friend." Luigi took Castle into an embrace, then turned his attention to Kate and Rose. "And who are these two _lovely _ladies you've brought with you?"

"This is Kate..." He watched as the old Italian took Kate's hand in his, taking his sweet time to lightly kiss it.

"Alright, alright, you two!" He laughed nervously. "And _this_," he turned Luigi to the little girl, smiling, "is Miss Rosalynn."

"Ah, Miss Rosalynn!" Luigi grinned, taking her hands. "It is so very nice to meet you! I'm guessing you came for ice cream, no?"

Rose nodded her head enthusiastically, causing the man to smile.

"Well then, come on over here and take your pick, _mio amore_!" He went to go behind the counter as Castle shot Kate a look.

"_What_?"

"You flirted with him!"

Kate grinned, watching Rose receive her cone. "What, afraid I'll run off with him?" She winked as she went to get her ice cream.

Castle frowned at her, and then went to the counter to catch up with Luigi as Kate went to go sit at a table with Rose by the window.

The conversation was light and carefree for a while, until the older man noticed Castle stealing frequent glances at the brown-haired detective.

"So, are you two..."

His eyes widened at Luigi's gesture towards Kate. "Oh, no, no, no, no. We're friends." He paused to smile at the sight of her and Rose happily chatting away. "Really, good...friends."

"Ahh. But I sense the opposite. She likes you, you know?"

Castle shot him a double-take. "Really?" He stopped himself then, and shook his head. "No, she's with someone. Plus, she could never feel that way about..." He drifted off until Luigi got his attention again.

"Something happened between you two, no?"

He hesitated, then started speaking. "Well, a few weeks ago, we-"

He stopped abruptly, looking at the old man beside him; the man that had become like a father to him over the years.

Sure, he trusted Luigi with his life...but the problem was more along the lines of the fact that he didn't trust _himself_. Because he knew as soon as he admitted it, he would be setting himself up for heartbreak.

Sighing heavily, he continued, quieting his voice. "We...kissed a few weeks ago, but it was originally to keep from blowing our cover on this one case. But, it became..."

"Too real?"

Castle nodded, feeling the almost unbearable urge to smack himself in the face.

He'd said it.

Luigi gave him a knowing look. "But she...?"

The writer shook his head sadly. God, he felt—and probably sounded—like a little schoolgirl whining about her first crush.

"I am sorry, my friend. I can only hope-" he stopped as Kate and Rose stood up and made their way over to the men.

Castle put on his best 'everything's okay-face' and smiled at the girls.

"All done?"

Kate nodded. "Work beckons."

"Is that a sad face I see, Detective Beckett? About _work_?"

She smirked. "Well, I like this girl," she replied as she held up Rose's hand.

Rose grinned in turn. "Can we have a snowball fight Rick? When Kate works?"

Castle nodded. "Sure thing." He then shook Luigi's hand, laughing at Rose's cheers. "It was good seeing you again."

"And you! Come back and visit me more, eh?"

"Will do," he replied sincerely.

Rose said goodbye to Luigi, then took Castle's hand in hers as Kate kissed the old man on the cheek.

"It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Luigi."

"Same to you, my dear! Take good care of my Ricky-boy, will you?"

She laughed, nodding. "If Ricky doesn't kill himself first."

Castle made a show of pretending to laugh as he led Rose out the door, Kate not too far behind them.

* * *

"Beckett." Kate answered her phone, exhaling slightly.

"Rose is getting cold, so would you mind if I took her back to my place for some cocoa, and then Alexis and I can teach her some 'Laser Tag 101?'"

"No, she'd be bored here anyways...these reports are taking forever. I'll be here late tonight."

"Alright, sounds good. I'll have her back by nine, then."

"What about dinner?"

"I have it covered, my good detective. No need to worry."

She rolled her eyes at the smirk in his voice. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright."

"Alright. I'll see you later." He began to hang up, but stopped when Kate spoke back up.

"Castle?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"No problem."

* * *

"Alexis? I'm home!"

"Dad!" She came bounding down the stairs from her room, a sea of red hair floating effortlessly behind her.

When she reached the bottom step, however, she stopped short, seeing for the first time the small girl that was standing beside Castle.

"Oh, you must be Rose! My dad was telling me about you last night!"

Rose smiled shyly as Alexis came over.

"So what are you guys doing back here so early? Where's Detective Beckett?"

"She had paperwork, so I told Rose here we'd teach her how Laser Tag is done around these parts...after some hot chocolate," Castle said.

His daughter grinned back at him. "Sounds like fun. But...Rose is on my team," she winked.

* * *

"What do you have for me, Lanie?"

"Well, the bullet was a .22, and it killed him immediately on impact. Sliced straight through his pulmonary artery." Lanie held up a small, glass container with a disfigured bullet inside.

"How far away do you think the shooter was from the vic? There were no burn marks on him, so it couldn't have been an up-close-and-personal thing."

"You're right about that. He had to have been around 40 feet away."

"Gotcha. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Is somethin' going on with you and Castle?"

"I meant about the _murder_, Lanie."

The ME then proceeded to give her a death glare, until she gave in.

"No," she sighed, admitting defeat. "Why?"

"He sure was staring at you earlier. Ryan was talking to him about the wedding, and he didn't even notice him. He just kept on watching you."

"Well, that's Castle for ya."

"Girl, not in that way! It was pretty damn intense...just sayin'."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Okay, Lanie, whatever you wanna believe...but sorry to burst your bubble. Nothing's going on."

"Yeah...okay."

"Okay? I'll see you later. I've got a _murder_ to solve, in case you've forgotten."

"Yeah, and a writer to-"

"_What_?"

"Nothing! Nevermind!"

"Uh-huh. Bye, Lanie."

Lanie scoffed as Kate left the morgue.

_Was she really **that** blind?_

_

* * *

_

"_Kate_!" Rose ran down the hall, screaming.

Kate, laughing, braced herself for impact and caught the girl in her arms.

"Laser Tag is _FUN_!"

She grinned, looking up at Castle, who was coming towards them. "I'm guessing she liked it."

"Ohh, yeah."

"When are you gonna come play with us?" Rose interjected.

"Oh, I don't know, sweetie. Maybe later."

"_Promise_?"

Kate sighed.

Damn those big blue eyes.

"I promise."

"Yay!"

Castle's phone suddenly rang, and he turned around to answer it.

Rose continued talking about her Laser Tag conquests, but Kate only half-listened.

Because all she could hear was Castle asking why in the hell he had to stay in L.A. for one more month than originally intended.

And why he had to leave the day after the next.

She couldn't help the feeling of sudden depression that came over for her. _Four_ months without Castle. _Four_ months.

Four months was a long time. Longer than the summer they'd spent apart.

Kate tried ignoring her thoughts, attempting to focus only on Rose.

"...And then, I sneaked by the corner, and _BAM_! Me an' Lexi shot him!"

"Wow, sweetie."

_Four months._

"...And then, he said, 'Oh noo!' and he falled to the floor!"

"You got him good, huh?"

_Four, freaking, months. The last summer was miserable enough._

"Yeah! I can't wait 'till you come'n play!"

"Me neither, Rose." She watched Castle hang up angrily and turn back around. "Me neither."

All of a sudden, Lanie came upstairs calling for Rose, who ran to see what she had for her.

Kate slowly stood up from the crouched position she'd been in and met Castle's eyes.

"What's up?" She asked him.

_Like she hadn't already heard him._

_Like she hadn't already been bracing herself for the bad news. Again._

"That was Paula."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. She wants me to leave day after tomorrow. Apparently, I pissed off a lot of people by taking a short rain check."

"Oh."

"And…I'll be gone for four months now, instead."

"Oh." Kate felt incredibly stupid…she didn't know what to say to him.

"Yeah."

"Well, Rose will miss you," she finally said.

"You think?"

"I _know_," came the soft, quiet reply.

"I'll miss her, too."

They both suddenly realized how close they were to each other, and Kate quickly backed up as subtly as she could.

"I…better get back to the murder board."

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll go…take Rose to the vending machines."

"Yeah, she's probably hungry…because it's been so long since dinner."

"Yep. I'll, uh, see you around, Beckett."

"See you later, Castle."

Kate turned to see Esposito and Ryan smirking at the pair's awkward conversation.

"What? What's so funny?" She took on an irritated tone as the two shook their heads furiously.

"Nope, nothin.'"

"Nothing, nothing."

* * *

Castle slowly bent down to get Rose's chocolate bar out of the machine.

"Why do you have to go?" Asked the tiny voice behind him.

He unwrapped the candy thoughtfully and then handed it to Rose.

"Well, it's my job." The explanation sounded pathetic even to his own ears.

She took the chocolate from him. "_So_?"

"_So_ I have to do it. Even if I don't want to."

"_Do_ you want to?"

"I don't. Not this time."

"Why not?"

"Well, I want to stay here with you, of course! And my family, and-"

"And Kate?"

Castle suddenly paused, and the only sound in the room was the noise of her wrapper rustling. "Yeah. And Kate."

"Well then, how 'bout we come with you?" Rose casually took another bite out of her chocolate bar.

Castle chuckled. "I wish you all could."

Kate suddenly entered the room, heading straight to the vending machine for a water bottle. "Could what?"

"Rose here was just saying how you all should come with me for the next few months."

"Oh. Well, don't worry, Rose…it's a lot of fun when you don' have an annoying shadow following you around," she replied with a wink.

"Hey! _Not_ cool!"

Kate grinned, but then grew serious again. "So did she say _why_ you have to have another month tacked on to everything?"

"Something about the movie producers wanting my recommendations on something."

"Something, huh?"

"Something," he nodded his head.

"So you'll be coming back…?"

"Late February."

"Wow."

Castle nodded again, and the sudden quiet dawned on them.

The two glanced behind them to see Rose sound asleep, head resting on the table in front of her chair, half-eaten chocolate bar still in hand.

Kate and Castle looked back at each other, smiling.

"Looks like it's time to go home."

"I'll help you get her in the car." He carefully picked the sleeping figure up in his arms as Kate went to get her things and shut down for the night, and then they went down to the car together.

Once they were outside and Rose had been safely buckled up, Kate turned hesitantly to face the man behind her.

"Look, Castle, if I don't get to see you tomorrow while you're getting ready to leave and everything…promise me you'll call this time. Just every once and a while," she added, embarrassed.

To her surprise, he didn't laugh at her—just smiled. "Goodnight, Detective."

"Night, Castle."

* * *

**A/N: **Alright, I am beyond sleep-deprived right now (it's roughly 6 in the morning, and I've gotten zero sleep) so please don't give up on me yet because of this chapter! I know it wasn't the best, and it's a little shorter than the other one, but it's what I've got as of this moment.

I would absolutely love it if you would take five seconds to drop me a line and let me know what I could do to make it better! I'm open to any and all suggestions, and the more reviews I get, the faster I update! Just sayin'...

Again, thank you guys soo, soo, sooooo much for the incredible response for the last chapter...let's see if we can do that again? It would totally make my week! :)

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Umm...oh, I own nothing.

**A/N: **For once, I can _completely _blame the lagging of this chapter on computer problems!  
Sorry for the long wait; I promise I had this chapter ready, but everytime I tried to type it up, the computer would crash and erase everything. And I mean _everything. _:(

So here's Chapter 3...finally! Although it's kind of more of an awkward filler chapter, but I can't take anymore of this darn computer!  
I'll make up for it next time, promise. ;)

Oh, and, oops, I _probably_ should have mentioned that Kate and Josh would have broken up by the time this story started, because we all know it'll happen anyways...oops.  
I'll put in a note in the first chapter.  
And there I go again, typing to myself.  
I'll stop.

No beta, all mistakes are mine.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The noise of the blaring alarm clock invaded Kate's sleep, causing her to jolt awake.

She sighed as dread pushed away the blissful unawareness that so often arrives with the morning, and then started getting ready for a shower.

_Today_ was the day.

He would be gone for four whole months.

Yesterday had been just a small preview of what was to come-Castle had stayed away from the precinct all day so that he could pack and prepare, as well as knock out a few interviews with _Good Morning America_ and an assortment of other talk-shows about the tour-and Kate had hated every last bit of it.

What she hated more though, was the fact that she hated his absence. Kate Beckett was not one to depend so heavily on seeing someone everyday, especially not someone like Richard Castle.

She tried not to think about it, but instead focused on what she was going to do with Rose for the day while she was out doing field work.

Lanie was overwhelmed with autopsies for the day, Esposito and Ryan would be out in the field as well, and the captain would be doing...well, captain work.

She could always ask Martha or Alexis...

_Damn it._

He was inevitably going to be an ever-present thing for her-she might as well just face it.

The doorbell rang as soon as she stepped out of the shower, so she hurriedly wrapped herself in a towel before she ran to the front of the apartment, her bare feet padding softly against the wood floor.

Kate opened the door, carefully peeking from behind it to see a tall delivery man standing outside.

"Katherine Beckett?"

"Yes?"

"I have a delivery for you from a...Richard Castle."

She frowned curiously. "Okay?"

The next thing she knew, he was handing her a vase with a huge bouquet of brightly-colored flowers and an envelope. "Here's the card."

"Oh. Thank you."

Kate struggled to bring the flowers inside, setting them down on a table beside her as she shut the door with her foot.

She stared for a second at the envelope, her name neatly written across the front with a certain flourish to it...a flourish that only a certain writer could add.

Hesitantly opening it, she glanced at the flowers in front of her. They were gorgeous, that was for sure.

The words on the paper she was holding, however, distracted her from them immediately.

_Kate,_

_I am insanely sorry I didn't get to see you before I left...I hope that these make up for it._

_These next four months won't be the same without solving murders and chasing down bad guys, or without you._

_I know you'll find Rose's dad's killer-I only wish I could be there to help you. Give Rose a hug and kiss every night._

_So, in case you happen to find another ruggedly handsome, incredibly charming, wildly funny, extremely talented, and irresistibly amazing writer to follow you around while I'm gone...forget me not?_

_Yours truly, _

_Richard Castle._

She glanced up at the bright blue forget-me-nots and daises in front of her and smiled.

Only Richard Castle.

She felt her heart drop abruptly, and a rush of emotions bombarded her being.

Kate felt like throwing up, as if she'd been punched in the stomach.

She shouldn't feel this way, she knew. But, strangely enough, it was as if she _needed _to feel it.

* * *

Kate laughed as Rose sleepily stumbled out of the guest room, flopping onto the sofa.

"Kate? Do you _have_ to go to work today?"

"I do. Why?"

"I'm too twired. Can't we stay here? And then play games?"

"I thought you were tired! We can't play games if you're too tired!" She grinned, picking Rose up and sitting her in her lap, wrapping her arms around her. "But we _can_ watch some TV before we leave, if you want."

"We can watch cartoons?"

"Sure."

She flipped the TV on and turned it to a show Rose seemed to know and love, then settled back as Rose moved to lay down on the couch, her head on Kate's stomach.

"Kate?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I stay with you forever?"

She stopped in her tracks. "Well, I don't know, Rose-"

"You don't like me?"

"No, no, of _course_ I like you! It's just that...well, your mom is coming back soon, and she'll be...taking you home."

Rose didn't respond for a while, and Kate thought she'd fallen asleep, until she spoke up again.

"But I love _you_ more than Mommy."

Kate's heart sank as she realized she and Rose were getting more dependent on each other as time went by, because she knew she would be leaving soon.

And even though she'd only known her for a week...she already loved her like her own.

* * *

"Hey Beckett," Ryan called as she walked in. "Hey, Rose!"

Rose smiled and happily waved at him as she took a seat behind Kate's desk.

"Financials are back," Esposito called, holding up a file in the air.

"Awesome." Kate went to take it from him and opened it.

"15 grand, transferred to Mr. Jenner from a John Smith, through First National."

She nodded. "Got it. Name's gotta be a fake, though. Too common."

"Yep, we're looking into it. Oh, and Lanie called-found skin under the vic's fingernails."

"Alright. I'll talk to her later about it. Thanks, Esposito."

"No problemo."

She looked back to the girl sitting at her desk.

"Hey, Rose?"

"What?"

"Wanna stay with Esposito and Ryan for a little bit?"

"Okay!"

Esposito grinned as he directed Rose to his desk, while Kate grabbed her jacket and keys, nodding her thanks to the detectives.

She rode the elevator down to the parking garage and walked to her Crown Vic as she unlocked it.

"Kate!"

Her head shot around at the sound of his voice, and her brows knit together in a happy confusion.

"_Castle_?"

He reached her side, and then grinned, panting. "You walk way too fast."

She smiled softly. "I got your flowers. Thank you."

He nodded, hesitating, but finally decided to speak up. "I couldn't _not..._see you. Before I left," he added.

Her heart skipped a beat, as the butterflies in her stomach made themselves known.

"Isn't your flight in like, 15 minutes?"

Castle met her grin. "I'll get over there in time. After all, it's _my _private jet, so what I say, goes. They can't leave without me anyways. It'd be pointless."

"Ah. So are you just trying to set the record of how many people you can piss off in two weeks?"

"Ha-_ha_, Detective." She was surprised to see him suddenly grow serious. "As long as you're not on the list. But anyways, I'll be on _Ellen_ tomorrow, so I expect it to be on in the 12th..."

She barely paid any attention to the last sentence he'd uttered, because she was too caught up in the one he'd said right before it.

"_Ellen_?" She asked absently.

He'd let her know -in his own Castle-esque way- that he didn't want her to be upset with him...at all.

She'd caught his moment of vulnerability. She'd seen it with her own eyes...that look on his face, that tone in his voice, his words...

"Yeah. Something about how she wants me to talk about my books becoming potential silver-screen hits. I don't know."

"Oh. I _would_ say we would watch, but some of us have _actual_ jobs..." Kate playfully nudged him. "Speaking of which, I'd better...go."

Castle nodded slowly. "Me, too. I've gotta go say bye to Rose, too." He held out his hand, which she took. "Until next time, Detective."

He pivoted and began his walk to the elevator, as Kate watched him go reluctantly.

"Castle?"

Her eyes met his as soon as he turned around, and she was the first to take a step forward, so that she could slowly mold herself into his arms.

"Bye, Castle," she whispered into his shoulder.

He tried to hold back a smile as he focused on her heart beating against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Bye, Kate."

* * *

Kate absently smiled to herself as she wove her way through rush hour traffic back to the precinct from yet another fruitless search of Jenner's apartment.

He would only be gone for four months-it's not like it was an entire year or anything.

And he would be back before she knew it, and things would be great. Better than they were now, even. Maybe.

But, God, how she would miss his smile.

Her phone suddenly rang, which she answered a little too happily for Lanie's taste.

"Girl, what's gotten into _you_?"

"Oh, Lanie...um, nothing. What's up?"

"Nuh-uh. _You _have to tell _me_ what's goin' on first."

She laughed. "Nothing! It's just that...well, Castle came back. To say bye."

"Oooh, was there a goodbye-kiss?"

"_Lanie_! _NO!"_

"Mhmmm. Well, he _did_ say goodbye, though?"

"Yep."

"Good. I was worried I was gonna have to go chase him down and beat him up for just leavin' you without a word."

"Well...this morning, he kind of...sent flowers."

"Katherine Beckett! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It's not like he proposed or anything!"

Lanie heard the sound of her honking at someone on the other end. "Oh, but I bet you wish he had..."

"_Lanie_!"

"Whatever, girl. Anyways, did Javier tell you about that skin under Jenner's nails?"

"Yeah, did you find out anything else?"

"Yes ma'am. DNA results came back-it was a man named Troy Brandt. Your boys are already bringing him in."

"I'll be there soon. Thanks."

"Anytime."

* * *

"You're telling me you weren't _anywhere _near Mr. Jenner on Tuesday morning?"

"Look, lady! What I'm _telling you_ is that I was busy getting tossed out of a bar on Tuesday morning!"

Kate held back an exasperated sigh. It'd been nearly 20 minutes that she'd been in the 12th's interrogation room with this damn man.

Tony Brandt was...well, a troublemaker, to put it nicely. A mile-long criminal record (which included everything from petty theft, to sexual assault, to attempted murder) kind of gave cops that impression.

"_Look, _Mr. Brandt, we have _your_ skin under a murder victim's nails-what are we supposed to expect?"

Her question was met with an eye-roll and a scoff.

"So, me and 'Mr. Jenner' there got in a fight. So _what_? That doesn't mean I killed him!"

"So you admit you got into a fight with him? Where and when?" She turned to look at Castle, but then realized he wasn't there.

And as much as she hated to admit it, she was already missing him. Sorely.

"Monday night-he came into McSorley's and was puttin' the moves on my girl. What was I supposed to do? Stand there and watch him knock her boots _on the freakin' bar_? I don't think so, _Detective._" He spat her title out like it tasted horrible in his mouth.

"What time was this?"

"Around 11 o'clock."

"Where were you from one to three in the morning then?"

"Bangin' my girl." He gave a nasty, yellow, suggestive grin, causing Kate to inwardly grimace. "Can I go now, lady?"

"It's _Detective _Beckett. And no, not until your alibi checks out. Even then, you're going to jail for your fifth charge of public intoxication this week, not to mention the assault charges." A smirk threatened to rise to the surface at his shock, but she managed to push it back down. This guy deserved to be locked up for a _long _time.

Kate left before he could go into his flying rage, closing the door on his pissed-off screams.

"Book 'emm, Beckett!" Esposito grinned as she went to her desk.

She smiled back. "We can't celebrate right now, though...as far as we know, his alibi holds out. Keep looking for any leads...I've gotta go pick up Rose from Castle's."

"Thought he left."

"He did. He just saw how busy I was before he left, so he volunteered to take Rose to his place so Martha could keep an eye on her for a while."

"Ah."

She nodded. "See you soon, Espo."

* * *

Kate beamed at the one-of-a-kind, red-headed diva once the door was opened and she was ushered inside.

"Thanks so much, Martha; you were-"

"Shh!" The older woman pressed her finger against her own lips, then gestured towards the small girl passed out on the couch. "She just fell asleep."

"Oh." She turned to look back at her. "You were a huge help," she whispered, grinning.

"Anytime, darling! Just give me a call!"

Kate went over to gently scoop Rose up, as Martha gathered Rose's things to hand to the detective.

"Thanks again," she mouthed, going out the door.

"Oh, Detective-"

"Kate," she smiled.

"Kate." Martha smiled back. "I almost forgot to give you this," she held out a folded-up piece of paper, which Kate took.

"What is it?"

"I actually do not know. Richard just handed it to me on his way out and told me to give it to you."

"Oh. Well, thank you...I'd better go get her in bed before she wakes up too much."

Martha nodded. "I'll see you soon, Kate!"

* * *

"Kate?" Rose's groggy, half-asleep voice gently broke the stillness of the night, while Kate lowered her onto the bed in her tiny spare room.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Is Rick gone?"

"Yeah. But he'll be back soon, don't worry."

"Okay. Can we call him tomorrow?"

Kate smiled. "We'll see."

"Okay. G'night, Kate."

"Goodnight." She lightly kissed Rose's forehead before heading out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

She sighed as she made her way into her own bedroom, shaking her hair out of the sloppy bun she'd put it in earlier, when she remembered the paper from Castle was still in her jeans pocket.

She fished it out, unfolding it as she went, and was amazed by the fact that three, simple words could have the ability to knock the breath out of her in a flash.

_Miss you already.  
-RC. _

* * *

**_A/N: _**Okay, even though I said at the beginning this would be more of a filler chapter, it still feels _extremely _awkward to me. I apologize if you're receiving the awkward-vibe as well. "/  
Please don't give up on me just because of this horrible, awful-in-so-many ways chapter!

But, yay! Another chapter finally up! To those that I haven't already lost-a HUGE thank you! And I promise I'm actually shoveling these out (your reviews are amazing,) it's just that this darn-freakin computer seems to have a serious issue with me.  
I'll try taking it to counseling.

In the meantime, I DO see every single one of your reviews (thank the Lord for cellphones,) so if you could take a minute and just let me know what you thought,  
that would be completely amazing!

_**(Plus, it's the 'big' 1-6 birthday today...so reviews would be super amazing! Even if you didn't like this chapter but loved the others, please let me know!)**_

_**:) Thanks for reading! (: **_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Oh, look at that...I _still_ don't own Castle! "/

**A/N:** Ya'll made me soo happy with all your subscriptions and favorites and reviews!  
Anndd, as a result, I forced my computer to go along with everything. Even though it still apparently has issues with me.

So, here's Chapter 4. Surprisingly. (:

**(And thank you for all the birthday wishes! I had an amazing day!)**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Kate's eyes flew open at the sound of her bedroom door slowly creaking open.

She carefully reached for her off-duty piece while keeping an eye on the doorway, but retracted her hand once she saw Rose's tiny figure peeping from behind the door.

She still had yet to get used to the fact someone else was living with her. Especially a child.

"Kate?" She whispered. "Are you asleep?"

"Not anymore," she replied, chuckling to herself. "What's wrong?"

Rose took her tentative hand off the doorknob and quickly ran to Kate's bed.

"The storm," she said fearfully. "It's scary."

The sudden realization that it was raining and thundering loudly dawned on Kate, just as a bolt of lightning lit up the entire room.

Rose dove under the covers of the bed, almost to the point of tears.

"Oh, Rose, it's okay. We're completely safe inside," Kate assured her.

"Pinky promise?"

Kate held back a laugh at the pinky that was being held out of the blankets above its owner's head, then intertwined it with hers.

"Promise."

Rose slowly emerged from her hiding spot, then looked up at Kate.

"Can I sleep with you t'night?"

"Sure thing." She made room for her and helped her adjust the covers.

"All good?"

"Mhmm."

"Good." She closed her eyes once Rose was silent, but just as sleep was about to overtake her, she heard the faint sound of sniffling.

"Rose?"

She didn't talk for a few minutes, but suddenly erupted into tears after Kate began gently rubbing her back.

"I miss my daddy, Kate; I want 'im back!"

Kate's heart sunk heavily in her chest, and she could feel her own eyes begin to well up.

"Rose-"

The little girl curled up against Kate's stomach, soaking her shirt with her tears.

"Will I see him again? Ever?"

"You know, sweetie, I bet you will. And I can see _my _mom when you see _your _daddy."

"Your mommy's with my daddy?"

"I think they..._are_, Rose."

"Why is _your_ mommy in Heaven?"

Silent contemplation filled the room.

"Well, because some very bad and mean people took her away, just like your dad. But it's all okay. They're safe, and happy now."

The tears had slowed greatly, and now were almost completely gone.

"Cross your heart?"

Kate hesitated, but then made an 'X' across her chest. "I really, honestly, _do_ think so, Rose." She held her closer to her. "I do."

She felt her nod against her chest, and all was quiet.

She listened to Rose's breathing even out as she slowly fell asleep, and eventually peacefully slipped under herself as well, as the storm outside continued on.

Her mom -and Rose's dad- _were_ okay now.

And that's all that mattered.

* * *

Richard Castle stood in front of his large hotel window, basking in the L.A. sunrise.

A sigh escaped his lips as he sipped at his coffee.

It just wasn't the same New York City coffee.

Nothing was the same here, actually.

Another sigh.

And another.

And then he realized there was no Kate Beckett to hear him; to fall into his trap and ask him what was wrong, so he'd have an excuse to talk to her when all else failed.

A real sigh.

It would be a _long_ four months.

* * *

The sun broke through the windows of Kate's room, and she reluctantly got up, groaning as she went.

It was technically her day off, but she was notorious for not taking one until the case she was working on was solved.

She would, however, sleep in a half hour more than usual...at least today, she would.

Kate dug in her closet for the day's clothes as she looked back at Rose, who was still sleeping soundly in her bed, and smiled.

Once she remembered Castle's note, however, she felt her cheeks flush and a ridiculous grin spread across her face.

She glanced at her phone hesitantly, and before she knew what she was doing, she was making her way over to it and dialing his number.

"Kate?"

Hell, the man just had to say her name to make her melt.

She was screwed.

"Anything wrong?" He asked, worry conveyed through his voice.

"No, no, not at all, I just...got your note."

"I see."

Crap, he sounded heartbroken.

She hurried to explain before she lost him. "No, it was...nice. Sweet."

Silence. And then, "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

Kate laughed. "It's only been one day, Castle."

He quickly shut her up with one, single statement. "Like the note said..."

"Miss you too," she finally admitted out loud, blushing as the whispered words left her mouth.

"Come see me?"

"You wish!" She rolled her eyes, but felt her stomach doing flips at the same time.

He laughed, and his side of the line went quiet for a while. "Soo, have you solved the case yet, with your brilliant detective skills?"

"Nope. But Rose is missing him. A lot."

"I would imagine," he sighed with her.

Rose suddenly began to stir, and Kate lowered her voice. "I've gotta go-she's waking up, and I have to leave for work soon. But she's gonna want to call you soon."

"Alright. Can't wait. I'll...talk to _you_ later, too?"

She couldn't help but smile at the hope that came through in his question.

"Talk to you later." She hung up and then smiled at Rose, who was then fully awake and watching her.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Want some breakfast?"

"Pancakes?"

"Sure thing!"

* * *

Kate groaned as her phone chirped on the kitchen table, and reached over to answer it.

"Yeah, Ryan?"

"We got another body."

She quickly stood up. "Where?"

"Gold and Fulton."

"What? That's way out of our-"

"I know. M.E. says it looks an awful lot like Jenner's murder.

"Got it. Give me...20 minutes?"

She hung up after hearing his affirmation and began her morning routine as Rose continued eating her breakfast.

_Crap...__Rose._

She pulled on a pair of jeans and swiped a toothbrush across her teeth before going back for her phone.

"Umm..." she thought aloud, running through a mental list of people she could call on.

Finally, having reluctantly decided on one, she hit the 'Call' button.

"Hello?"

"Alexis, hi- look, I know it's a Saturday and everything, and you probably have plans, but-"

"You want me to watch Rose?" The teenager asked excitedly.

"How'd you know?"

"I've got my dad's intuition," she replied, giggling.

Kate laughed in turn. "Well, would that be alright? I would call somebody else, but everyone's busy today, and I kind of have a murder scene to go to...I don't exactly want her in tow."

"Detective Beckett, _please_ don't worry about it. I'm actually glad you called...Ashley's sick, so we had to cancel our movie date for today anyways. Soo, if you just wanna drop her off, I'll watch her for as long as you need me to."

"Thank you _so _much, Alexis. You have no idea how great you are-"

"It's no problem, Detective Beckett-"

"Kate. It's Kate."

"It's no problem, Kate." The detective could hear her smiling on the other end. "See you soon!"

"See you." She hung up and went back to the kitchen.

She grinned as the little girl sitting at the table looked up at her curiously.

"Hey...wanna hang out with Alexis for today?"

Rose nodded enthusiastically, beaming. "Yay, _Lexi_!"

* * *

"It's us!" Kate knocked on the Castle's loft door.

Alexis promptly opened it up and gave the sunshine-iest smile Kate'd ever seen.

"Hey! Come on in!" She closed the door behind the two girls and gave Rose a bone-crushing hug. "Hey, Rose!"

"Hi, Lexi!" The six year old smiled.

Kate hesitantly glanced around, sighing inwardly.

It smelled like _him_.

Like his cologne.

Dear Lord, she sounded like such a sap. It hadn't even been an entire 24 hours.

"We're gonna have soo much fun," Alexis squealed happily, bringing Kate back to reality.

She turned to Kate. "Thanks _so_ much for letting us hang out today."

Kate smiled. "Thank _you_." She gave the teenager a quick hug and then wrapped Rose in her arms, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. "See you later, sweetie."

Rose promptly squeezed her back. "Bye Kate! Have fun at your work!"

Kate smiled, letting go of Rose, and then took a step towards the door.

"Bye girls...have fun today!"

The door closed on the two younger girls' chorus of byes, and Kate couldn't help the warm feeling that overcame her.

* * *

"What's up?"

Ryan looked up from his notepad to see Kate walking towards him.

"White male, somewhere in his late 30s, single gunshot wound to the chest."

"No I.D.?"

She frowned at the shake of her detective's head, then squatted down to get a closer look at the corpse lying on the ground.

"Same placing and style as Jenner's. Do we have any other evidence it's the same person?"

"Well, he was killed around the same time of day Jenner was, and there are no witnesses, but that's about it."

Kate nodded. "I want Lanie doing the autopsy. Can we get that?"

"I'll check into it."

"Thanks. Where's Esposito?"

"Precinct. He said something extremely important about the case came up and he had to check into it right away."

"He didn't tell you what it was about?" Kate asked incredulously.

"Nope- we didn't have time to discuss it."

"Alright. Well, I'm heading back there- you talk to the 84th and figure something out."

"Got it, Boss."

* * *

"Beckett."

Kate stopped short to look over at Montgomery.

"Yes sir?"

"A word?"

"Sure." She made her way over to his office, closing the door behind her.

"Rose's mom is coming down tomorrow."

Kate's eyebrows went up. "_Tomorrow_?"

He nodded, and she resisted the urge to...well, she wasn't sure of _what_ she wanted to do.

"Oh. Wow. That was...faster than expected."

He nodded again. "Had a sudden change of heart, apparently."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the only reason she couldn't come down turned out to be because she was trying to get a promotion. She didn't want to just get up and go, and leave that impression with her boss."

"_What_?" Kate could feel her blood begin to boil. The lady's own _daughter_ had just lost her dad, and she was only worried about her _job_? She'd just lost her ex-husband, and she was only concerned that she wouldn't get a lousy _promotion_?

"Yep. If it was my kid, I'd have left in a heartbeat. The woman must be crazy."

"Crazy, my ass. This lady is _inhuman_," she scoffed.

Esposito abruptly appeared at the door, frantically knocking on it.

Montgomery motioned for him to come in. "What's going on?"

"The ex-Mrs. Jenner's fingerprints were found at the scene, and-"

Kate stood up from the seat she'd taken, suddenly extremely alert.

"Which?"

"Both."

"There's no way that's a coincidence." Both Esposito and Montgomery vaguely shook their heads, agreeing with her observation.

"But get this- they were _on _the body we haven't ID'd yet, too."

Kate couldn't help her jaw dropping open. "We need Phoenix PD to search for her, _stat_."

"Already on it," Montgomery replied, immediately picking up the phone.

Kate and Esposito quickly turned to exit the captain's office, walking back out to the bullpen together.

"If she's actually _in _Phoenix, then someone's setting her up. If she's not..."

"Rose is without a mom," Esposito finished the thought Kate was too afraid to complete.

She nodded absently, trying to keep herself together.

This was turning out to be one _hell _of a case.

* * *

"Hey, Detective Be-" Alexis stopped herself, shaking her head. "Kate. Come in!"

She grinned at the redhead before accepting her invitation.

"How was Rose?"

"She's been _great_," she replied happily, leading Kate into the living room. "Now we're just watching TV."

"_Kate_!"

Rose jumped off the couch and ran over to her, tackling her with a monster hug.

"Hey, Rose," she laughed. "How was your day?"

"_FUN!_"

"Good; I'm _so_ glad. You ready to go back to my house now?"

Rose nodded and ran off to get her backpack, while Kate turned to Alexis.

"Thanks so much, Alexis. You were a huge help."

"Anytime, Kate! We had a lot of fun today."

"Great," she smiled.

Rose suddenly reappeared with her belongings and wrapped herself around Alexis' leg. "Bye, Lexi!"

"Bye, sweetie! I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay!" She let go and stood in front of the door, waiting patiently for Kate.

The detective laughed and began to follow, but Alexis caught her arm.

"Kate? Rose wanted to call my dad to say hello, so we did, but..."

"But what?"

"He sounded a little dejected when he asked for you and you weren't there. Maybe you should...call him?"

Kate paused, trying (unsuccessfully) to disguise the smile that crept into the corners of her mouth.

"Bye, Alexis."

"Bye, Kate." She grinned when Kate turned around and gave Rose a silent high-five.

The younger girl beamed and attempted a covert wink to the teenager, who stifled a laugh and winked back as she closed the door.

* * *

_-Sooo, I heard that you're lost without me._

Castle grinned when he read the text message, and hit 'reply.'

She would never know how much he was.

**-And who told you that, my good Detective?**

_-I don't reveal my sources._

**-Ahh. I see. It was Alexis, wasn't it?**

_-So how's the tour going so far?_

He chuckled at her not-so-inconspicuous evasion and typed back.

**-It's going. Could be better. **

He didn't type the rest of his thought..._if you were here._

_-I'm sorry. _

**-It's alright. How about the case? **

_-Well...another body turned up. Same MO. __But in Brooklyn. __Lanie checked, same murder weapon. And..._

Castle's eyebrows went up in shock, but practically flew off of his face when the second part of her text came through.

_-Rose's mom's prints were at both scenes, and on the 2nd's body._

**-WHAT?**

_-Right? Something feels off...I just can't place it._

**-You'll figure it out. You always do. :) How's Rose?**

_-Blissfully unaware, as I'd like her to stay._

**-If you ever need anything, let me know? Please?**

_-Thank you, really. But hey, I'm going to bed. Goodnight..._

**-Goodnight, Kate. **

He put his phone down on the coffee table in front of him and rubbed a hand across his face.

This case was insane, and he could tell it was draining her. He just wished he could be there with her.

_For_ her.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed with another text, so he reached over to grab it.

Once he read it, his world seemed to momentarily stop, while a gigantic smile overtook his features.

_-Miss you, Rick._

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, for some reason, I can't get rid of this awkward vibe. Maybe I'm paranoid.

_Reviews make my day, no exaggeration!_

**Thank you for your continued support! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Alright, you caught me. It's me, Andrew Marlowe.

HAAAA. I wish.

**A/N: **Guys, honestly, I promise it's this computer that-excuse my French-is a pain in the ass.  
I start typing, and I go to save, and I get that evil blue screen of death.

So, I know it seems as if I'm just plain, flat-out lazy, but I can assure you, this is not the case.  
I'm writing all the time, it's just...computer problems.

So if someone wants to be the most fantastic, _**extraordinary**_ (see what I did there? :p) person in the entire world, I would immensely appreciate a new laptop.  
Just sayin'.

Thanks for reading, favoriting, subscribing, and reviewing! _EVERY _single update I get in my email about the aforementioned things are sooo appreciated.  
So **_thanks _**again.

And _**HOLY EFFIN CRAP**_. That finale, mann. It's probably the best finale I've seen in years, and I watch a lot of TV!  
Anyways, on that note, I've decided to keep this story pretty much canon for after "Knockdown" (3x13) and before the events of "Lucky Stiff" (3x14).  
So nobody's died, nobody's been shot, etc, etc. As amazing as it was, it would be too difficult to write in this story.

Anyways, I decided to do a quick little recap of all the important things from the previous chapters, because I know how VERY annoying it is to  
have to go back and read everything to figure out what's going on. So here it is. (:

And I apologize that it's taking up so much room on this chapter...or that the word count for this chapter was misleading. :p

* * *

**Chapter 1 - **

-Castle is leaving on a three-month long trip (book tour, movie stuff, etc.) and Kate pretends to be _very_ happy about it.

-New case: Murder vic is Robert Jenner, who's divorced and has full custody of his six-year-old daughter, Rosalynn (Rose). The ex lives in New Hampshire, but is away on a business trip in Phoenix and is unable to leave.

-Kate gets the captain to agree to letting Rose stay with her for the time being, so that she doesn't have to go into foster care right after her father is murdered. And Castle postpones his trip to help her.

-Both Kate and Castle immediately bond with Rose, and Kate tries to ignore the fact that the whole Castle/Rose bond is completely, utterly, and totally adorable. And that Castle kind of turns her on. :p

-Financials show that Jenner had $15 grand wired from his checking account to an offshore account in Europe for the two weeks previous to his murder

-Lanie and Castle both point out that Rose looks _extremely_ similar to Kate, and ask if she's related, to which Kate insists they're not. (_Pay attention to this...it'll resurface at some point)_

_-_Castle points out that Kate is 'good' at the 'kid stuff.'

-Annndd, of course, tons of Casketty flirtation. ;)

**Chapter 2-**

**-**Michael Fisher = Jenner's next-door neighbor, who Kate finds a little...attractive. He says Jenner usually got home really late, but was always talking about his daughter and how much he loved her. And he says Rose had a nanny that was 'young' and 'hot.' He then proceeds to hit on Kate while Castle's standing there, and Castle finds it hilarious when Kate rejects Fisher.

-Lanie and Esposito are an item.

-Lanie and Rose hit it off right away.

-Castle gets Kate to go with him and Rose for ice cream (even though it's in the middle of November and freezing outside.) The ice cream parlor they go to is owned by one of Castle's old friends, Luigi, who realizes Castle has a big thing for Kate after Castle tells him about _the kiss_. Anddd, he also flirts with Kate. Just a little bit though. (;

-Rose and Alexis hit it off as soon as they're introduced

-Lanie says the COD was a .22 to the chest, and the shooter couldn't have been that close to the vic. She then proceeds to tell Kate that something's going on with Castle, because he seems to be pining away for her more than usual. Kate insists it's nothing.

-Castle gets a call from Paula saying that he'll be gone for a month longer than originally expected, which neither he, Rose, or Kate are too pleased about.

-Kate makes him promise he'll call her every once and a while this time, so they don't have a repeat of _the Summer_.

**Chapter 3-**

-Before work the morning of Castle's departure, Kate gets flowers and a letter from him (delivered to her apt.) in which he basically says he'll miss her incredibly...but in Castle-code. Kate = happy.

-Rose tells Kate that she loves her more than her mom, and asks if she can stay with her forever...to which Kate feels guilty and upset that Rose will have to leave soon.

-Esposito tells Kate that a John Smith is the one who received the $15 grand deposits...but the name is a fake.

-Lanie found skin under the vic's nails, which came from a man named Troy Brandt, who has a mile-long criminal record and insists he had nothing to do with Jenner's murder, but they get him for public intox. and assault charges.

-Castle finds Kate before he leaves, and they have their usual banter-filled conversation. But then Kate hugs him. And he enjoys it. And so does she.

-Martha, who was babysitting Rose for the day, gives Kate a note from Castle when she goes to pick Rose up. And the note, which talks about how he 'misses her already' makes her unbelievably giddy.

**Chapter 4-**

**-**Rose has a moment of weakness one night, and crawls into bed with Kate during a storm, crying because she misses her dad so much. Kate proceeds to tell her that she thinks Rose's dad is in Heaven with her mom.

-Castle is pouty because he misses his muse.

-Kate calls Castle the morning after she gets the note from him, and they flirt. Duh.

-The same morning, Ryan calls Beckett about another body-this time in Brooklyn, which is out of their jurisdiction. However, the investigating detectives realized that it looked a lot like Jenner's murder, so they call the 12th. Kate drops off Rose at the Castle house so Alexis can babysit for her.

-No I.D. for the second vic, but same M.O. and around the same TOD as Jenner.

-Montgomery tells Kate that Rose's mom is coming down the next day, and that she couldn't leave any earlier, or she would lose the chance for a promotion. This makes Kate a little po'd. She goes on a rant, which Esposito interrupts, saying that the ex-Mrs. Jenner's prints were found at both crime scenes, and were on the second vic's body.

-Alexis and Rose are seemingly conspiring together to push Kate and Castle together. (;

-More Caskett flirtation over text messages. Kate tells Castle about ex-Mrs. Jenner's fingerprints. Castle is surprised. Kate ends the conversation with 'Miss you, Rick.'

**And that's pretty much all you need to know! I'm soo, deeply sorry if this wasn't a help/annoying/a waste of time. Please let me know, in case in the future I feel the need to do this again. Thanks! (:  
Onto the story..._finally_.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Detective Beckett-"

"Just give me one second," she replied, not looking up from her computer screen.

She heard Karpowski clear her throat. "Um, Detective Beckett..."

"Yeah? I'm sorry, I ju-" she stopped short after shooting a double-take towards the attractive woman who looked...too much like Rose.

"Yes?"

"This is Mrs. Jenner."

Kate stood, extending her hand to shake the other woman's as Karpowski turned to leave.

"Hi, Mrs. Jenner. I'm Detective Beckett."

"Please, call me Marie. I haven't bothered changing my name since the divorce, and now...well, now the name just makes me think of..." she trailed off, looking beind her uncomfortably.

Marie suddenly looked back at Kate, her eyes wide. "Please, we can't stay out here- - isn't there somewhere more private where we can talk? I'm sure you have an interrogation room of some sorts, am I correct?"

Kate nodded slowly, and gestured down the hall. "If you'll just follow me."

She frowned as they made their way to the interrogation room. She'd already been planning on speaking to her in there, but to have _her_ ask...something wasn't adding up.

Once they arrived, Kate motioned towards a chair, telling her to have a seat.

When Marie looked down nervously at her lap, Kate took the chance to study her carefully.

This woman was _definitely_ Rose's mother.

And she was _definitely _anxious.

"Ms. Marie, would you mind telling me where you were the day of your husband's murder?"

Marie cleared her throat. "In Phoenix on a business trip, like I've already told you people." She suddenly began looking around the room, wringing her hands together. "Um, are there...cameras in here?"

Kate ignored her query. "We have evidence that proves otherwise."

"What?"

"Ms. Marie, we found your fingerprints at our crime scene. _Two_ crime scenes, actually."

She took a picture out of the folder in front of her, sliding it over to the woman. "Recognize him?"

"Umm...no," she shook her head, swallowing as she blinked rapidly and looked away.

"Really? Because _your _prints were on him." Kate pulled out another picture, this one of Mr. Jenner's lifeless body, his open eyes seeming to stare straight into the camera lens. "How about him? Do you recognize him?"

Marie quickly looked away and wiped at her eyes, choking back a sob that was threatening to escape from her throat.

"Please, Detective. I can't...I can't-"

"Can't what?" Kate kept her voice level and calm as she watched the restless woman across from her put her hand to her cheek, then to her forehead.

"Look, I-" she stopped, then leaned forward, lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper as she managed to avoid looking at the picture of her dead ex. "Can you turn the cameras off?"

Kate furrowed her brows. "Why?"

"I-I just...please."

A minute of silence passed as Kate carefully watched her, trying to comprehend what was going on.

Then, she turned around in her chair to look at the mirror, making a slashing sign across her neck.

"Alright, Ms. Marie, they're off. Now, would you please care to explain what's going on?"

"You're sure they're off? And you can trust the people on the other side of that?" She pointed to the mirror, squinting as if it would allow her to look through it.

Kate squeezed her eyes shut for a millisecond. "I'm sure."

The other woman sighed heavily, and, once again, nervously cleared her throat.

"They're watching me," she whispered.

Kate's eyebrows went up. "Who is?"

"I...I don't know. I just got a letter in my mail one day, and they said that I..."

"You what?"

"That I couldn't talk to the cops. Or else they'd kill me, and Robert, and-"

"Rose?"

"Yes."

It was Kate's turn to clear her throat. "When did they contact you?"

"Um, I don't know...about six months ago, I suppose."

She nodded. "Have they made any direct contact at all? Or has it just been notes?"

Marie shook her head. "Just notes."

"And _why,_ exactly, did they tell you not to go the police?"

"I-I saw...I saw..."

"You saw _what_, Marie?"

"I saw them kill someone," she whispered. "Stab them. In just one, short movement. I saw them _take the life_ of someone, Detective Beckett. I never thought it would be so...so completely and totally haunting. And then, on top of that, they know who I am. And they've...I'm afraid, Detective."

Kate stilled for a second, then reached over to put her hand over Marie's, carefully sliding the pictures away. "I understand. It's horrifying. But I need you to work with me."

She nodded in reply, swallowing.

"So you _saw _them stab someone?"

"Yes."

"How many were there."

"Three, or four...I'm not completely sure."

"Did you recognize any of them?"

"No, and that's what I don't get-I don't understand why they're doing this to me when I didn't even see who they were, and I-" she broke down into tears. "And now Robert's dead, and they've been watching me, leaving notes on my door no matter where I go, and they-they..."

"Marie, listen to me," Kate said calmly. "I need you to calm down. They what?"

"They told me they know the cops have Rose, and they...they-they're going to kill her," she choked on her words. "They're going to make me _watch_ them _kill _her."

* * *

"We need to move Mrs. Jenner into protective custody immediately for the time being, and I want Rose to go-"

"Sir." She stopped walking down the hall and stood still.

Montgomery stopped mid-stride, then turned to face Kate.

"Sir, no disrespect, but...I need Rose to stay with me."

"Beckett, I don't think that's a good idea-"

"Sir, please. I _need_ her to."

He thought for a moment, giving her a stern look.

She didn't falter under his stare, however, and stood strong.

"Then I'm assigning a security detail to your apartment 24/7, as well as a full-time detail to follow you around when you're not at home. And I _never_ want that girl out of sight."

Kate sighed, relieved. She didn't necessarily like the extra security, but she would do whatever it took to keep Rose safe.

She nodded, and they resumed their walk down to his office, discussing the details of how they would handle the current situation.

"Yo, Beckett!"

They turned to see Esposito and Ryan bolting towards them, panting heavily.

"Have you guys seen Rose?"

"No- I thought she was with you," Kate frowned.

"She was," Ryan spoke up. "But then she somehow slipped away, and we can't find her."

"She's gone," Esposito confirmed.

Kate's heart dropped to her stomach.

* * *

"Rose? _Rose_?" Kate ran through the halls, opening every door she passed to look inside.

She grew more frantic as each second passed; each minute proving to be futile.

Rose was nowhere to be found. She'd already had people search the parking garage, which came up empty.

She had people checking the security cameras, and so far...nothing.

She had people checking every floor of the precinct, every nook and cranny.

Kate was kicking herself for letting her out of her sight.

She opened the door to the fifth women's restroom she'd looked in in the past hour and peered in, hearing the faint sound of sniffling. "Rose?"

"Kate?" Came the tiny, timid voice from inside a stall.

She released the breath she'd been holding and walked in, the door swinging shut behind her, as she tried to calm the shaking that betrayed her normally-calm composure, and Rose emerged.

"How'd you get in here?"

The bathroom they were in was two floors up-in the robbery division.

"I tried to find you, but they was chasing me, and-"

"Whoa, Rose, _who_ was chasing you?"

"Two police guys."

"Why didn't you talk to them?"

"They looked scary and mean. And they told me to come with them, or else I would be in trouble. But I didn't know them." She paused, looking down at her lap in shame. "Was I s'posed to go with them?"

"No, no, no-Rose, you did the right thing," Kate assured her, taking her into her arms. "What else did they tell you, sweetie?"

"They just keeped telling me to go with them, but I said no, and I runned away. But they chased me, so I came to the girl's bathroom. 'Cuz they can't come in here," she grinned proudly, but the smile was gone as fast as it had appeared.

"Alright. Well, do you think you can tell one of my friends what they looked like, so she can draw a picture of them? And then we'll find them."

Rose nodded silently, burying her face into Kate's blazer.

Kate exhaled nervously, pressing her lips to Rose's forehead, and squeezed her eyes shut. "You did good, baby girl. You did good."

* * *

"Hey, Castle...it's Kate. I just..."

_Wanted to hear your voice._

"Rose wanted to talk to you. She's had a long day, and it's...well, it's been rough on all of us. But, um, anyways, I just wanted to check up on the tour and everything. How the signings are coming and...all that. But you're apparently busy, since I'm talking to your voicemail, so...I'll call you back later. Or you could call me, or...yeah. Rose really wants to talk to you. Bye, Castle."

* * *

Rose was plagued with nightmares that night.

Kate stayed up with her, and they eventually moved to the couch in the living room to cuddle, once Kate realized Rose wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep.

She stared blankly at the TV screen, not even registering whatever show Rose was watching.

She'd been so close to losing her.

So..._close_.

And, honestly, she wasn't sure _what_ she would do if she did.

She suddenly heard low voices outside of her door. Her heart rate quickened ever-so-slightly, and she grabbed her gun, standing up.

"Stay here, sweetie," was all she told Rose, hiding the gun from her line of sight.

She made her way over to the door, and looked out the peephole to see her security detail switching with a new, fresher one.

Kate sighed, moving back to the couch. She couldn't wait until all of this was over.

Then again, that would mean she would lose Rose, and she just wasn't sure if she could take that.

Her phone suddenly rang, and she took a second to inwardly whine before getting back up again.

"Beckett," she answered with a sigh.

"You don't sound too pleased right now. Have I angered you, Detective Beckett?"

She could hear his playful smile over the line, causing her to smile faintly. "Sorry. I'm just...exhausted."

"I can tell. I got your message, speaking of which. What's been going on?"

Her smile grew wider at the concern in his voice, her insides melting.

She would really have to figure out how to keep that from happening.

"Well, to keep it short, Marie Jenner came down today. She claims someone's watching her, and is threatening to kill her because she saw a murder go down. I wasn't sure, until Rose was chased through the precinct by these two guys."

"_What_? Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine...she's with me still. Montgomery's got details on us and my apartment all the time."

"Good. But no one saw those guys? In a building filled to the brim with _cops_?"

"Yeah, I know how it sounds, but they were apparently in uniform, according to Rose. I guess the people that did see them, if any, just figured they were cops, too."

"Ahh. I see. Well she _is_ okay now, right?"

"Just a little shaken up."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine. I just...miss having you around," she admitted quietly.

"Me too."

A comfortable silence took over their conversation, which, surprisingly enough, neither of them minded nor felt was awkward.

It was broken, however, when Rose called for Kate.

"Hey, Rose, Rick's on the phone. Wanna talk to him?"

"Yeah!" Rose yelled.

Kate made her way back over to the couch, covering up her hand and the mouthpiece as she lowered her voice.

"Remember, Castle, she's had a rough day."

She handed the phone to Rose, whose hands were outstretched.

"Hi, Rick," she grinned, then was silent as she listened to him speak.

Kate watched her as she had quite the animated conversation with Castle, beaming the whole way through.

It was quite the difference from just a few minutes ago, when she had been silent, and fear had been etched into her face.

Eventually, she heard Castle tell Rose to 'go to sleep and hand Kate the phone.'

Rose nodded as if he could see her, and told him to have sweet dreams, to which he told her to do the same.

She smiled as she handed Kate the phone, and proceeded to lay down on the couch, closing her eyes.

"Well, that was fast."

"What?"

"She's already trying to go to sleep," she giggled quietly, standing up to walk to the kitchen. "You should work your magic more often."

He laughed. "Is she better?"

Kate smiled. "Much."

"Good."

"Soo...how goes the tour?"

"It's going. Just not fast enough."

"Anxious to get home?" She smirked.

"I am, actually. I already miss everyone."

"Everyone misses you, too," Kate sighed. "Come home soon," she added, whispering, before she knew what she was saying.

"Believe me, I'm trying."

It was quiet for a minute again, as she started washing the dishes that had managed to pile up when she wasn't looking, and Kate's face maintained a smile the whole time.

"You still have almost four whole months. It's only been two days," she ended the silence, as well as the smile.

"Miss me that much already, Detective?"

"I do, actually," she mocked him.

"Good. Because I miss you that much, too."

Kate froze.

_Why _was he doing this? Every chance he got, he told her how much he missed her.

And it was only making her miss him even more.

Dear Lord, they sounded like some lovesick-teenage-couple.

"Castle, I have to...I have to go."

"Kate-"

"Goodnight, Castle."

She hung up the phone, throwing herself into the loveseat beside the couch.

What were they doing?

* * *

**A/N:** Alright, guys, there's that chapter..._finally! _(Sorry it's kind of on the short side...I'm just tired of typing after that recap thing. And these long A/Ns.)

I swear, I friggin _hate _my computer. It's such a kill-joy.

Anyways, you know the drill...pleaseee review. If you're a writer, you know that both constructive criticism and praise are like oxygen.  
So please do me the favor of telling me what you thought! It sooo makes my day when I get reviews. Seriously.

Also, remember to please let me know if I should keep doing the recap every few chapters if I'm gone as long as I have been, or if I should just drop it altogether.

Thank you so, so, so very much for reading! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Until next time...(which should be sooner than usual, cause it's SUMMER for me in three days, baby!)

:)


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